A Hybrid Cardio-Pulmonary Simulation Platform—An Application for Extracorporeal Assist Devices

U.S. Food and Drug Administration agency is encouraging to use modeling and simulation in medical device evaluation, in order to reduce validation process and reduce a number of animal and human trials. To address this challenge, a variety of models and simulators is developed, playing the role of artificial/virtual patients or animals. There is a lack of simulators enabling interaction with real extracorporeal devices and also offering more advanced models of the cardiovascular/respiratory systems, available in pure computer simulators. A previously elaborated hybrid (hydro-computer), cardio-pulmonary simulation platform was adapted for extracorporeal applications. An extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) mechanical assistance was simulated using this simulation platform and specially designed hydraulic model of ECMO. In these simulations veno-arterial (V-A) and veno-venous (V-V) basic ECMO configurations were considered. The preliminary results demonstrate the left ventricular afterload increasing for V-A configuration and blood recirculation effect for V-V one. Taking into account cannulas position, geometrical structures of the systemic vessels and real oxygenation gives more realistic and prospective approach. The application for extracorporeal assist devices (like ECMO) extends the whole hybrid cardio-pulmonary simulation platform functionalities in terms of the heart and lungs assistance simulations. The configuration for cardio-pulmonary bypass is also possible to be introduced. This simulation platform is a flexible tool and can be used by a wide range of stakeholders as a test-bench for various medical assist devices, as well as for educational purposes.